Polk State faculty and staff help student overcome adversity on path to graduation

Roxane Aupont’s mother sent her to the U.S. when she was only 15 in hopes of affording her opportunities she couldn’t obtain in Haiti. Since then, Aupont has overcome abuse and homelessness to ensure that her mother’s decision was not made in vain, and on Dec. 13 she will receive her Associate in Arts degree during Polk State College’s 119th commencement ceremony with her mother proudly cheering her on.

But Aupont wants to share her story of hard times and overcoming adversity, thanks to the assistance she received at Polk State, with other students to motivate them on their higher-education journeys.

“People who know me and know my story tell me they can’t imagine how I have been able to get to this point,” Aupont says. “I want students to know that they can overcome any obstacles, especially with the faculty and staff here at Polk State.”

Aupont recalls her life as a child in Haiti as “different” than being in the U.S.

“It was dangerous – it was not easy at all. Mothers fear for their children walking down the street,” she says. “But I was lucky enough to go to a good school and I was a good student.”

“People who know me and know my story tell me they can’t imagine how I have been able to get to this point. I want students to know that they can overcome any obstacles, especially with the faculty and staff here at Polk State.”

When Aupont completed 10th grade, her mother decided to put her on a plane to Central Florida, where she could live with a family acquaintance.

“She saw better education and overall opportunities for me here,” she explains, “but the person I was living with did not want me to do well in school, go to college, or make a better life for myself.”

She enrolled at Haines City High School and balanced her studies with enduring physical, mental, and emotional abuse at home, she says.

“It made me focus on my studies even more,” Aupont recalls. “I would put headphones on, do my homework, and study for hours to tune the abuse out and keep myself going.”

She received her high school diploma at 16, and shortly thereafter, a neighbor noticed what Aupont was going through, assisting her with finding an apartment and enrolling at Polk State.

Aupont started classes in fall 2016, with her mentor driving her to and from school. But her mentor eventually wanted Aupont to find her own way.

“They wanted me to figure out how to make it on my own independently,” she says. “That was extremely hard. However, I was able to get through that and continue.”

Aupont’s mother in Haiti was with her every step of the way via late-night, tearful phone calls, talking out possible solutions and discovering the mobile phone apps Uber and Lyft, which provided Aupont with transportation to and from Polk State’s Winter Haven Campus.

But fares began to add up for Aupont traveling to and from Haines City. Aupont began apartment hunting in Winter Haven to be closer to campus, experiencing homelessness for four days while making the transition from Haines City.

“I did my homework under a street light,” Aupont recalls. “It was really tough, but I’ve learned to always keep hope.”

With little ideas of where to seek help, Aupont visited her College advisor, Charity Garcia, who connected her to the resources she needed to stay in school, including assistance through Financial Aid, TRiO Student Support Services, and the Office of Disability Services, where Aupont was able to fill out the necessary paperwork to receive a homeless tuition waiver and apply for a federal Pell Grant.

Aupont expressed great gratitude to a number of faculty and staff members from many areas of the College who assisted her during hard times, including Director of Disability and Counseling Services Kim Pearsall, Coordinator of Quality Assurance and Compliance Ketsia Alexandre, Financial Aid Specialist Vlanouse Saint-Vil, Financial Aid assistants Monica Perez and Paola Lopez, Director of My Brother’s Keeper Casmore Shaw, and Professor of English and Speech Communication Earl Brown.

“I didn’t trust too many people, but these people I could trust,” Aupont says. “Students should never hesitate to go to their advisors or professors for help.”

“I didn’t trust too many people, but these people I could trust,” Aupont says. “Students should never hesitate to go to their advisors or professors for help.”

Today, Aupont works at McDonald’s, has an apartment, and is saving up to buy a car.

She will continue her education at the University of South Florida, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in World Languages and Cultures. In Haiti, Aupont learned English, French, Creole, Spanish, and some Latin. She aspires to serve as an interpreter for the United Nations.

“If it wasn’t for the assistance I received at Polk State, I’m not sure I would be where I am today,” Aupont says. “Everyone who helped me has taught me to always keep hope and to always keep going.”